


Halloween Under a Digba Tree

by aflawedfashion



Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Halloween, Multi, Post-Canon, Post-Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8360896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aflawedfashion/pseuds/aflawedfashion
Summary: A happy epilogue to the series set a few years in the future on a holiday everyone forgot... except Amanda who throws a party in the NeedWant.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I intend this story to be relatively canon-compliant in that Nolan left at the end of season 3, but then he came back. Because he always comes back.

When Amanda Rosewater was very young, she loved Halloween, and every October she would daydream about hosting a Halloween party that would put her mother’s parties to shame, but then the world went to war, and dreams of expensive costumes and caramel coated apples were replaced by dreams of simple survival.

But the war ended, years passed, and eventually, after more struggles and hardship than she cared to think about, she settled into a life that felt safe for the first time that she could remember. Then, one day as October approached, she stood in the bar she owned in the town she ran and realized that she could think of the frivolous again.

And so she did.

On the night of October 31st, as Amanda stepped under the digba tree adorned with cobwebs and fake spiders, she was almost tempted to lose herself in the comforting feeling that nothing had changed since the last time she had celebrated Halloween, but everything had changed.

She looked around the room at the Votans and humans dancing, drinking, and laughing together in their costumes, and a grin broke out on her face. In that moment, she realized that this night was more than a simple indulgence in a favorite childhood holiday. It represented everything she wanted when she became mayor six years ago. The people of her town had come together, feeling safe enough to embrace artificial fear, fictional monsters, and faux threats because the real threats were gone from their home.

Amanda leaned against the bar, staring into the face of her jack o’ lantern, it’s crooked orange smile illuminated by the flickering light of the candle inside. She had carved it to look just like her pumpkins looked when she was a child, but it wasn’t really the same. It wasn’t even really a pumpkin.

New jack o’ lanterns for a new world, for a new life - a good life.

“Hey, watch where you're going,” someone shouted, breaking Amanda out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Irisa pushing her way through the crowd, conspicuously without a costume, eyeing the guests with caution.

“Happy Halloween!” Amanda said as Irisa slid onto the barstool in front of her.

“All these people in costume, it's not safe. You can't tell who's actually behaving suspiciously, and who's deliberately pretending to be a suspicious character in some twisted idea of fun. I don’t know why you encourage this.” Amanda arched her eyebrows as Irisa paused, staring at her as if she just now realized Amanda was also in costume. “What are you wearing?”

“And hello to you too,” Amanda said, taking a second glass down from the shelf to pour Irisa one of the blood red cocktails that were the specialty of the night. Irisa sounded like she could use it.

“Hello,” Irisa said, and Amanda couldn’t tell if she was humoring her or genuinely trying to correct her own social faux pas.

“Hi,” Amanda said through a laugh. “Rough day?”

“Yes,” she said, looking Amanda up and down as she flatly repeated, “What are you wearing?”

“The question is, what are _you_ wearing?”

“No.” Irisa shook her head. “It’s not.”

“Look around,” Amanda said, motioning to the crowd as Irisa obediently glanced to her left and right sides. “The rules of Halloween dictate that you have to wear a costume, and I am in a costume.” She tipped the brim of her large, pointy black hat towards Irisa. “ _You_ are not.”

“You’re dressed as a night porter in a weird hat?”

“I’m a witch!”

“That’s what witches look like?”

“On Halloween, yes.”

“You keep saying the word ‘Halloween’ like it explains that hat. It does not,” Irisa said, and if Amanda didn’t know Irisa so well, she would assume she was fucking with her.

“When you’re a witch, you need to let people know they should fear you. Children should run when they see you coming. This hat says that no matter how innocuous I may look, you should be scared.”

“You’re in four inch heels and a corset. There’s nowhere to hide a weapon, no way to run.”

Amanda furrowed her brow, picking up her wand and pointing it at Irisa's face like she was a teacher giving a lesson. “Sexy is just as vital a part of Halloween as scary, and witches are both sexy and scary which makes this the perfect costume. We don’t need weapons to fight with, and we certainly don’t chase anyone on foot. We fly on broomsticks.”

Irisa yanked the wand out of Amanda’s hand just as she was about to point it at her again. “A magic flying broom…”

“Exactly!” Amanda said before taking a sip from her drink. “Here.” Amanda pushed Irisa’s glass towards her. “Have a little human fun, and then maybe you'll understand our strange human customs.”

“You want me to drink that?”

“I think you _need_ to drink this.”

“What is it?” Irisa asked, looking at the glass as if Stahma had prepared it.

Amanda widened her eyes. “Blood,” she said, drawing out the word in her best impression of a vampire.

But Irisa didn’t take the bait. Instead, she stared at Amanda like she was trying to work out the riddle behind what Amanda had said.

Exasperated, Amanda narrowed her eyes at Irisa. “You know, your father has failed you by never telling you about Halloween.”

“He’s mentioned it.”

“Then why are you acting like all of this is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen?”

“He said Halloween was a ridiculous human holiday where children ate a lot of chocolate. I don’t like chocolate.”

“So, no costumes, no alcohol, no chocolate?”

“No.”

“Ok, you need to have this drink. It'll help loosen you up.”

“Like you?”

“Exactly!”

“How many of those have you had?”

Amanda shrugged. “I lost count a long time ago.”

“So you’re drunk.”

“Yes!” Amanda said, clinking her glass against Irisa’s. “So are 80 percent of the people in here, and you should be too.” Amanda placed a pitcher in front of Irisa. “Have a few of these, and maybe I’ll even get one of the night porters to lend you a spare costume.”

“I don’t-”

“No,” Amanda cut off Irisa’s sentence as she stepped out from behind the bar. “I’m the mayor of this town and the owner of this establishment. You're at my party. Celebrate with me, or sulk with someone else.

“I’m not really a party person.”

“All you have to do is have a few drinks, dance, talk to people. It’s easy”

Irisa looked at Amanda like she had just suggested rebuilding the arks would be an easy afternoon task.

“Sorry,” Amanda said, realizing her mistake. “Find someone else who will do most of the talking, someone who knows you and won’t expect you to be cheery. Maybe someone like Berlin. Has she told you about her costume yet?”

“No,” Irisa said. “She was pacing around the lawkeeper’s office this morning debating what to wear… And I understood less of what she was saying than I understand how your costume is scary.”

“Well, she finally decided on her costume. It’s from an obscure movie she found in the E-Rep archives years ago, and I may not remember how many of these drinks I’ve had, but I can tell you that the first was during that story.”

“Why would you want me to find her just so she can tell me a boring story?”

“Your misery needs company.”

“I'm not miserable,” Irisa said a little too quickly, too defensively.

“Whatever you say.” Amanda threw her hands in the air in mock surrender. “But she's probably going to find you anyway. She loves her costume as much as she loves talking about the cinematography of psychological thrillers.”

Irisa looked at Amanda for a moment, weighing her options before picking up her glass and taking a drink.

“Good girl,” Amanda said, patting Irisa on the shoulder.

“This actually isn’t bad,” Irisa said, staring at the glass, genuine shock written on her face.

“See,” Amanda said as she turned to leave Irisa at the bar. “You might just like Halloween after all.”

Amanda felt a small sense of accomplishment over potentially changing Irisa’s view of Halloween, but Irisa was not the member of the Nolan family she was waiting to see walk through those doors tonight. As she made her way through the crowd, she scanned every face, not pausing for longer than needed to know that none of them belonged to the person she was looking for. She felt her smile falter slightly, but before her disappointment could settle in, someone grabbed her arm and she turned to find Berlin, drink in hand, walking away from a very confused looking Alak Tarr.

“Looking for Nolan?” Berlin asked a little too loudly as she attempted to speak over the sound of the music.

“That obvious?”

“Only because I know you so well,” Berlin said, and Amanda smiled as Berlin took a long slip from her drink. “So where is he? I figured you two would be all over each other by now, especially since you're wearing _that_. Haven't seen you in anything like that since your night porter days… And even then, this is something.”

“Hey, I was never a night porter. I was a madam. I was the boss.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, m-”

“Shhh.”

Berlin smirked, practically glowing with how pleased she was with herself for getting under Amanda's skin. “So, where's the boyfriend?”

“I thought he would be here, but I haven’t seen him,” Amanda said, hoping the disappointment wasn't audible in her voice. “And I’ve just heard a rumor from a reliable source that he doesn’t like Halloween.” She shook her head lightly. “Maybe he was humoring me about this party all along.”

“Noooo,” Berlin drawled, her drink sloshing in her hand. “He was off chasing down a thief all afternoon. I’m sure he’s just running late.”

“Don’t tell me you’re his accomplice in creating an alibi?”

“Never, and don’t worry,” Berlin said, nudging Amanda’s arm with her shoulder. “If he doesn't get here soon, I'll kick his ass for you.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“What are friends for if not kicking a little ass when you need them to?”

“Oh come on, don’t act like this is entirely an altruistic offer,” Amanda teased. “I know you look for excuses to start a fight.”

Berlin’s face contorted into an exaggerated frown. “That's what Irisa says… Like it's a problem, like she’s never thrown a knife at someone.” Berlin shrugged, waving the thought away with her hand. “Speaking of which, have you seen her?”

“Yeah, she’s at the bar. I actually got her to try a drink, and I'm hoping we can get her in a costume before the end of the night.”

Berlin shook her head. “No way. I've never seen anyone less interested in costumes in my life.”

“I think she's coming around to the idea, and the night porters have plenty of extra costumes.”

“Irisa in a night porter costume?”

“Halloween costume… Suitable for a night porter.”

“I'd looove to see that,” Berlin said under her breath.

Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I know you would.”

Berlin cringed. “I just mean…” She shook her head, not finding the words to end that sentence.

“I know what you mean.”

“No.”

‘Yes.”

‘No.”

Yeeees.”

“Fine, you’re right,” Berlin said with loud sigh. “How did you figure that out?”

“Hey, I know you too. All these years of watching your unresolved tension with her...” Amanda smirked, a little white lie flashing across her mind. “And she said she’s dying to hear all about your costume.”

“Really?” Berlin’s eyes lit up. “You know, I was just telling Alak about it, and he didn’t seem that interested.”

“Forget him.” Amanda gently squeezed Berlin’s arm. “It’s an amazing costume. Now go tell Irisa.”

“Ok!” Berlin said with a drunken excitement she rarely displayed when sober.

“Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Berlin said, turning to leave with a flip of her ponytail. “Oh, and by the way, that tension, it's not entirely unresolved,” she added over her shoulder.

“What!?” Amanda shouted over the music, but Berlin was already disappearing into the crowd.

As Amanda chuckled softly, making a mental note to get that story out of Berlin later, she noticed Alak Tarr across the room, awkwardly flirting with a Casti woman in a hellbug costume. He almost tripped over his own feet from a combination of alcohol and nerves, and she couldn’t believe he was Datak and Stahma’s son.

It was funny, she thought, how genetics-

“Grrrrrrr,” someone growled into her ear, their warm breath on her neck, and Amanda tensed for a moment before quickly realizing her own foolishness.

“It's rude to growl in someone's ear like that,” she said playfully, already admonishing herself for being startled so easily. She knew without having to look that it was a guest having some fun, and that's what this whole night was supposed to be about.

“I want to eat your brains.”

Turning around, she saw Nolan standing in front of her, his face painted green with fake stitches across the scar on temple, two bolts stuck to the side of his neck.

“Grrrrrr,” he growled again.

Amanda grinned as she blinked away her surprise over seeing him in costume, her eyelids heavy with the weight of her false lashes. “I‘m pretty sure it's zombies who eat brains.”

“Shit,” he said, his act falling away. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Sulk about the meaning of humanity, I think.”

Nolan grimaced. “I should have picked a different costume.”

“I don't care what you came as. I'm just happy you're here,” she said, throwing her arms his neck, examining the surprisingly good paint job on his stitches. “And you actually dressed up.”

“Of course I did,” he said. “You explained very clearly, in great detail that this was a costume party.”

“I know, but I was starting to think you might find more important things to do than this, and I heard a rumor that you hate Halloween.”

“Ohh,” Nolan winced. “Hate is a strong word.”

“I believe the word Irisa used was ‘ridiculous.’”

“Well,” he said. “I was absolutely happy to give it a chance for you, and I did... then I started glueing fake, oversized bolts to my neck, and I'll have you know, I would not do that for just anyone.”

“You dressed up just for me?” she asked, flirtatiously.

“Are you really surprised? I live in this town because of you, I have my job because of you, I’ve risked my life on more occasions than I can count because of you. All things considered, wearing a costume is the least of what you’ve asked me to do since I stumbled into this town.”

“So, you basically do whatever I say,” she said, closing the already small distance between them.

“Uh huh.” Nolan nodded, a devilish smile spreading across his face.

She tilted her head upward, teasing him by barely brushing her lips against his. Tension was building, their breathing was growing heavy… and then her hat fell to the floor, prompting her to laugh louder than she could remember laughing in a long time.

Nolan hung his head in disappointment as she broke away from him to pick up her hat.

“I don’t think witches properly considered the difficulty of making out in one of these hats,” she said.

“Traditionally, I think witches were more known for casting hexes and eating children than trying to make out while wearing push up bras.”

“I don't know. I think I could convince a few villagers I was a witch just by walking into town dressed like this. Besides, it's so much more fun to be a witch wearing this.”

“Yes.” Nolan beamed, his eyes running the length of her body. “Yes, it is.”

“And,” Amanda said. “I kind of missed dressing like this... _occasionally_ dressing like this. Don’t get me wrong, I love being the mayor so much more than being a madam, but there’s something I loved about feeling powerful and sexy at the same time.”

“For what it’s worth,” he said running his hand tantalizingly down the side of her bare arm, taking her hand in his. “I think the leather jacket look is pretty damn sexy, but you should definitely dress like this _any_ time you want.”

With her hat safely in her hand, she kissed him, barely containing her smile.

“Mmmm… You taste like vodka and berries,” Nolan said as they pulled apart. “Where can I get some of that?”

“The scary green monster wants a frilly berry drink?” Amanda teased.

“If you're drinking it, I know it has to be strong enough for a monster.”

“I could take that comment many ways, but I choose to take that as a compliment.”

“I wouldn't mean it any other way.”

“Good because there are plenty of drinks at the bar,” Amanda said, plopping her hat back on her head and leading him across the NeedWant. “I left Irisa with a pitcher, and I don’t think she could drink that all on her own.”

“Don’t tell me you got her drunk again.”

Amanda turned and glared at him as they wound their way through the crowd. “That was one time.”

“One time that I know about.”

“It was the only time. I promise,” Amanda said, walking behind the bar to grab Nolan a glass.

“Hey, I knew you’d come,” Berlin said to Nolan, but his eyes were focused entirely on the drinks. “Like my costume?”

“Yeah, it’s great,” he said, glancing at her.

“Can you believe most people in here can’t even recognize it?”

“Unbelievable,” Nolan said, flashing a quick look at Amanda and giving her an almost imperceptible shrug, betraying that he had no idea what it was either.

“We need to start teaching filmmaking in school,” Berlin said. “Everyone in this town is clueless about even the basics.”

“Hey, stop judging us,” Amanda said, leaning against the bar next to Irisa. “Not everyone should be expected to know movies that came out before they were born.

“I’m younger than you are, and I know it,” Berlin said.

“It’s not like I’m alone in that opinion, right Irisa?” Amanda asked.

“She doesn’t count,” Berlin said before Irisa could answer.

“Why?” Amanda asked.

“Because she’s Irisa.”

Berlin paused, her face scrunching up with the realization that she probably shouldn’t have said that. “Sorry,” she said, glancing briefly at Irisa.

“I’m not offended,” Irisa said with complete sincerity.

Berlin smiled, turning her full attention to Irisa, “I’ve always liked that about you. And unlike some people,” Berlin glared in Amanda’s direction before turning back to Irisa. “You actually know something about cinematography. You don’t ask so many basic questions.”

Amanda looked questioningly at Nolan. She’d never heard Irisa say a single thing about cinematography in her life. In fact, she didn’t know if she’d ever even seen a movie.

He shook his head, mouthing, “I have no idea.”

Maybe they really had gotten closer than Amanda had realized… or maybe Irisa knew better than to ask questions Berlin didn’t want to answer. Probably both.

“Now where were we?" Berlin paused. "Right, 1970s aesthetic.”

Amanda could feel herself losing focus as Berlin spoke, and she wasn't even talking to her. Unable to tell if Irisa had any more interest in 1970s aesthetic than she did, Amanda decided to share a trick Kenya had told her years ago when she was tired of dates who talked too much. Leaning against Irisa’s shoulder, Amanda whispered into her ear, “You know, if you kiss her, she'll have to stop talking. Make it a good one, and she’ll forget what she was talking about.”

Irisa looked between Amanda and Berlin, and with a shrug of her shoulders that said, “why not?”, she pressed her lips against Berlin's, her words falling away as Irisa's hands brushed through Berlin's hair.

“Oh, I don’t want to watch this,” Nolan said, grimacing as Berlin wrapped her arms around Irisa’s back, lifting her out of her seat.

“Me either,” Amanda said truthfully while doing her best to act like she was as surprised as Nolan was by Irisa's move.

“Don't act so innocent.” Nolan arched his eyebrows. “I know you told her to do that.”

“You do not.”

“Yes, I do because that’s what you do whenever I’m talking about something you don’t care about.”

Amanda shook her head. “I do not do that.”

Nolan flashed her a knowing glance. Sometimes she hated how well he knew her.

“Fine, I do, but in my defense, I see no reason I should learn how your roller works or how your gun works. It's really boring.”

Nolan grinned wickedly. “Why do you think I talk about it so much?”  

“Seriously?”

“It’s highly effective, but even when it's not, I enjoy talking about that stuff, so it's a win-win situation for me.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Just come dance with me.”

“Gladly,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the back of the NeedWant.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Berlin pinning Irisa against the bar. “No sex on the bar,” Amanda shouted, turning her back to them as she followed Nolan. “We have rooms upstairs for that!”

Amanda attempted to erase the image of her one of her best friends, the woman she thought of as a little sister, mauling her boyfriend’s daughter on her bar. It wasn’t a sight she wanted to dwell on. She told herself to think of puppies, puppies in Halloween costumes.

“This place looks amazing,” Nolan said, looking at the fabric ghosts that adorned the back wall.

“I tried,” she said, attempting to downplay how much effort she had put into this party.

“You outdid yourself,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his body.

“I know it’s silly,” she said as they swayed in time with the music. “And most of the people in here have never even celebrated Halloween, so they’d never know the difference if I put an Easter Bunny on the bar, but I still wanted it to be perfect.”

“It is. It's amazing.” He brushed a wisp of hair out of her face, looking at her like she had done so much more than recreate an old holiday in a bar. “You put your whole heart into it, and I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

Amanda couldn’t stop a smile from crossing her face, but her cheeks were burning with embarrassment as she instinctively looked away, hoping the dim lights would hide how red she knew her face was turning.  

Nolan placed his index finger under her chin, leading her to meet his gaze, and as she looked into his eyes, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It wasn’t the first time he had looked at her like this. It wasn’t even the first time he had looked at her like this this week, but she remembered excruciatingly well what it felt like to sink to the floor of her office crying because she thought she might never see his face again. She’d never forget that pain, and she’d never take this love for granted.

“You look happy,” he said, running his hand across her back, his fingers tracing along the laces of her corset.

“I am.”

Nolan pulled her hat off her head and tossed it onto a nearby chair, never taking his eyes off of hers. “I mean it. You look _really_ happy. The entire first year I knew you, I don’t think I ever saw you smile as much as you have tonight.”

Amanda shrugged lightly. “I love Halloween.”

“It’s more than that.”

“And I love this town, this bar, my friends, and you. I love you. I never thought my life would be this good, not after the war, not after Kenya, not after the year I don’t want to mention.”

“Neither did I.” Nolan laughed lightly, shaking his head. “For most of my life, I was sure I’d be dead by now, not standing in a bar with the woman I love celebrating a silly holiday I thought the the world had forgotten.”

“How did we ever get so lucky?”

“I don’t know.”

As Nolan pressed a gentle kiss to Amanda’s lips, she wanted to hold on to the moment forever. It was so unlike the first night she had brought him to her room, falling together onto her bed, desperately kissing him, seizing the one person she loved who remained in the shambles of her life. That night, she had wanted to forget the rest of the world existed, but now as they came together, their relationship was one piece of an entire life she loved, a life she couldn’t believe was her own. She felt his strong arms around her, heard the laughter of her guests, smelled the pumpkin spice in the air.

She would remember this night for the rest of her life.


End file.
